HÀ NỘI — Defending champions HCM City 1 will play Việt Nam Coal and Minerals in the opening match of the National Women’s Football Championship on May 11 in HCM City.

The tournament will see the participation of eight teams, which will compete in a two-leg round robin format.

The first leg is from May 11 to June 1 at the Thống Nhất Stadium. The second leg is from November 6 to 27 at the Hà Nam Province’s Stadium.

The four best teams after 14 rounds will advance to the semi-finals.

The winning team will walk away with VNĐ300 million (US$13,500) on December 3.

Last year, HCM City 1 beat Hà Nội 1 2-0 in the final to bag their second trophy in a row.

It is the sixth consecutive year that the tournament has received full sponsorship from the Thái Sơn Bắc Electric Equipment Trading Company.

“Women’s football has bagged victories in regional tournaments and recently they laned a berth at next year’s Asian Cup. It is a great honour for Việt Nam. We hope our sponsor will play a role in helping them improve their skills and warm up for upcoming competitions, including the Southeast Asian Games,” Bùi Đình Tế, Thái Sơn Bắc Company’s chairman of the board of directors, said yesterday in Hà Nội.

“Hopefully it will be a successful championship and our players will get some experience while supporters will witness great matches,” he said.

According to Lê Hoài Anh, Việt Nam Football Federation’s general secretary, the contribution of Thái Sơn Bắc was important for the development of women’s football in general and this women’s championship in particular.

Players who display their talent at the championship will be selected for the national team, which will play the most important tournament this year at the SEA Games.

Following the first leg round, they will be summoned to train for the Games in August in Malaysia.

Việt Nam are one of the two best teams at the biennial Games. In the last nine tournaments, Việt Nam has won four and Thailand has pocketed five. In the latest edition in 2013, Việt Nam were defeated 1-2 by Thailand in the final and had to relinquish the crown.

They then return home for the national event’s second leg.

In early 2018, the national team will convene again to prepare for the Asian Cup in April in Jordan. — VNS